


Human Relations

by SunflowerWoman



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Angst, Explicit Language, F/M, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Human, Mentioned Demon Brothers (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Mild Gore, Murder, Mystery, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:02:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27266158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunflowerWoman/pseuds/SunflowerWoman
Summary: Diavolo has hired Rhin as the "Human Relations" specialist to help bring his latest dream to life: complete, peaceful coexistence of demons and humans. But once the process begins and humans begin falling victim to gruesome murders and no one can seem to track down the culprit, everything is put into jeopardy as mankind blames their new demonic neighbors. Rhin has to figure out how on earth she can help the brothers merge their two worlds, all while trying not to give her heart away to the one demon she wants most: an unruly, uncooperative, money-loving second born.
Relationships: Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Character(s), Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am only up to chapter 17 in the game, therefore this story is slightly AU and may diverge from canon information.

An endless onslaught of rain had blanketed the streets for days, sending violent streams and rivulets down every slope and incline within a ten-mile radius of Rhin’s apartment. For just a short moment that evening, the rain let up and only remnants of it remained: rivers of liquid glass across sidewalks and streets that reflected the flickering warmth of streetlights too old to emit a constant light. Within that surreal landscape, Rhin thought she saw someone stomping through ankle-deep water to cross towards her building, but only a fool would be out in this weather. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and upon lifting it to her ear, she turned her gaze back to the traveling figure outside, but no one was there. 

Maybe they had been whisked off to another dimension, or swept away by the water so quickly that no one noticed its crime. Sometimes Rhin wished she would be swept away, too, if only for the chance of a certain someone coming to her rescue.

“Are you there? Rhin?”

Pulling herself away from the window, she sat atop the edge of her couch and picked at a frayed thread in her silk pants. “Yeah, I’m here, Luke. What is it?”

“I was thinking we should get together,” the man suggested, a softness in his voice. “I haven’t seen you in a while. Why don’t I bring over some dinner? I know it’s late but I’m sure places are still open for carryout…”

As Luke droned on, Rhin’s mind drifted. Sixteen months had passed and not a day went by where she didn’t think of her time spent in the Devildom.

In truth, she was thinking of _him_ more so than anything else. It wasn’t something she did consciously- moreso a feeling, a tingle up her spine or the ghost of a breath across her neck. Whenever she actually gave in to it, pretended it was real and that he was standing right behind her, even just for a moment… Her breath hitched and her eyes clenched shut.

But when she finally turned around and dared open her eyes, not even a spector remained. Just an emptiness that echoed the steady beat of her heart. 

It was lonely. _She_ was lonely, although she dare not admit it. Everyone had been welcoming upon her return to the human world; in fact, everyone that knew of her trip asked her a million questions about her experience and wondered aloud when they could go, too, as though Rhin’s aquantainship were the key to being chosen to visit the Devildom. But she didn’t have an answer for them; she wasn’t even sure when she herself would be able to return, if at all. That school year had ended simply, and she had said her goodbyes to the brothers as though she would see them again the next morning.

Of course, Asmo and Mammon threw her a going-away party for which all of the brothers pitched in. Satan had even tried baking her a cake from scratch. The icing coating her tongue was her favorite - cream cheese - but she couldn’t taste its sweetness. All that remained was a bitter reminder that the year was over, and she had to return to her old, human life.

It was something she regretted every day.

Why did her relationship with the brothers have to end? Was it truly fair that they could continue on without her as though she was nothing but a tiny blip on their radar of a thousand years, when they were an all-consuming tidal wave in hers? She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. As soon as the light faded from her warp home and she stood on familiar, Earthen ground, it felt like a huge piece of her was missing. The brothers were her family. So why hadn’t any of them bothered to write or come see her in all this time? Why was she all alone?

Three quick raps on the front door startled Rhin, and she dropped her cell phone on her foot. Sucking in a breath through clenched teeth, she hastily picked up the device and heard Luke say, “You seem off, I’m coming over to keep you company--”

“I’m _fine,_ ” Rhin assured him, shuffling towards the door. “In fact, I’ve already got a guest at my door so I have to go.”

Before Luke could protest, she clipped a short _goodbye_ and hung up. Now the only question was… who the _hell_ would knock on her door at ten o’clock at night? Should she even answer?

Her curiosity got the better of her and she eased her door open just enough to peek outside. Soaked to the bone and looking oddly subdued… The one demon that wouldn’t leave her thoughts well enough alone… The one she found herself smiling about in her sleep… The one whose company she craved more than any other… was standing at her doorstep. 

Mammon was gazing directly at her, and Rhin shivered on instinct. His hair was dripping wet and his brown and white jacket clung to his torso, but what caught Rhin’s attention the most was the flush across his cheeks and the way his eyes kept darting around, like he couldn’t look at her for too long or he’d explode in white-hot flame. 

“Hey,” he said simply, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. “Can I come in? It’s raining bullets out here and believe it or not, a demon can catch a cold--” 

Rhin opened the door wide and Mammon hurriedly crossed the threshold into her apartment. Water began pooling at his feet so Rhin demanded that he stand on the entrance rug while she grabbed a towel. It gave her a moment to breathe. 

Within minutes, she returned with a peach-colored bath towel and a change of clothes for him. “Come here,” she breathed, motioning for Mammon to sit in one of her kitchen chairs. “Can’t have you getting sick.” 

He obeyed without a word. She helped him remove his jacket and it fell to the floor with a thud. Then he began pulling his shirt off, and even though they weren’t making eye contact, she knew he was watching her just as much as she was watching him. As he sat to remove his boots, she took the initiative to begin towel-drying his hair. “Gotta dry this first or else you’ll just keep getting wet,” she muttered, feeling him nod beneath her hands. 

Neither of them spoke again. Rhin noticed that Mammon closed his eyes, so she unabashedly traced the contours of his face with her eyes. He looked the same as always, no doubt due to the demon blood running through his veins. Did she look older? Would he notice? Would he _care?_

The towel slid from her hands and fell across one of his shoulders. He didn’t stir. Rhin allowed her fingers to slide through the damp hair at the base of his neck and unconsciously began rubbing at the tension she felt knotted there. Despite their silence, they fell into a rhythm easily, naturally...

Mammon leaned into her touch and his lips parted just enough to let a soft groan escape. Rhin felt her body react as heat spread from her face down her arms, her chest, until she felt like she was on fire and Mammon had lit the match. 

He opened his eyes and gazed up at Rhin, something she had dreamed of for _so long now_. The color on his cheeks mirrored her own. He took a breath. “Rhin, I’ve--”

A loud jangle burst from Mammon’s pocket and he cursed under his breath. “Fucking Lucifer, always getting in my way…” 

Rhin had removed her hands from his hair at the phone’s ring and Mammon pried his pants pocket open to retrieve his DDD and answer the call. “I’ll just… make some tea,” she stammered, backing away to clear the air. 

A pained look crossed Mammon’s face but Rhin was already walking away. She heard him curse again and answer his phone in a much snappier way than she’d ever heard him address Lucifer. 

She tried to tune out his voice as she busied herself in the kitchen. Even though she had always been fond of Mammon and they had certainly shared some intimate moments together during her transfer year at RAD, it was never anything quite so… forward. Or _physical_ , in truth. Prying anything substantial out of Mammon normally took a crowbar and a whole lotta muscle, but maybe now since so much time had passed, he would give in easier to his own desires when it came to something other than money…

As Rhin chewed on that thought and what possibilities may lie before them, Mammon appeared in the doorway. He had changed out of his own pants (Rhin was unsure if it was a good or bad thing that she had missed it) and wore a pair of her sweatpants and one of her college hoodies. The pants clung to his toned thighs but he didn’t look uncomfortable. In fact, he looked like he could have been a model for her alma mater. 

She didn’t want to put that idea into his head because he might actually try to profit from it. 

Mammon leaned his shoulder against the arch of her kitchen entryway and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked more normal now than before, more relaxed, and Rhin felt her nerves settle in response. But a wriggling doubt sprang up from her subconscious and snared her attention. Why _was_ Mammon here if he just had to leave again as soon as he came? What was the point? Torture for the both of them? Did he get off on making her suffer even more than she already had?

“I’m assuming Lucifer called about your assignment?” she asked, trying to sound casual as she poured hot water into two mugs for them. “Are you even supposed to be here? With me, I mean.”

He flinched at the bite to her voice, a coldness that was absent just minutes earlier. “I didn’t stay away by choice, Rhin, you have to know that. Surely you know that, right?”

She didn’t answer and instead handed him a mug of earl grey tea. He didn’t take a sip but he wrapped his palms around the ceramic for warmth. Rhin followed his movements before responding. “I don’t know anything, Mammon, other than you just randomly showed up at my door. So why are you here, huh? What’re Lucifer and Diavolo up to now?”

A sigh passed between them and Mammon set his mug on the counter. “It’s best if Lucifer explains it all, but Diavolo has a job for you, if you’re up for it. I’m here to bring you back.” He paused a moment before continuing, his voice almost a whisper. “I really hope you say yes.” His shadow crossed Rhin’s as he took a step closer. “I just…” His arm moved and for the briefest moment, Rhin thought he was going to take her hand. 

He put his hands in his pockets instead. “I’ve really missed you, y’know? We all have.”

Rhin swallowed another sip of tea. It kept her grounded in the moment, kept her from spilling out into a hot mess on her kitchen floor. Mammon always overwhelmed her senses.

 _Of course_ she wanted to say yes and follow Mammon to the ends of the Earth - literally. _Of course_ she wanted to see everyone again. But would this be another temporary thing? A moment’s bliss before she didn’t matter anymore? She wasn’t sure if she could handle being abandoned again. But if she didn’t go… she would never know what _this_ thing between her and Mammon, between her and the brothers, truly was. And the lonely ache that had blossomed inside her would only continue in causing its suffering, growing deeper until it was all she had left of them. 

Staying behind sounded nonsensical now when the flesh and blood man whose attention she craved was standing before her. No, not man. Demon. 

Once again, she had to remind herself that he wasn’t just a man - he was a demon who could rip her to shreds in seconds. But he hadn’t done that. None of the brothers had. So why shouldn’t she throw all caution to the wind if it meant she could feel like herself again?

She set her own mug down and before Mammon could protest, she threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly. He felt warm. Safe. Like _home._ And the bitterness clawing at her eased. Not completely, but just enough that she could enjoy the moment.

At first his body stiffened, like he had come to his senses and realized just how close he was letting himself get to Rhin. Closer than he _should_. But then he wrapped one arm around her waist and slid his fingers from his other hand through hair, grasping gently at the violet strands. 

“You’re not allowed to disappear again, okay? I mean it. I’ll raise hell if I have to!” Rhin murmured, breathing in the crisp taste of his cologne.

Mammon chuckled at Rhin’s choice of words and pulled away just enough to gaze into the honeyed amber of her eyes. “Not for all the riches in the world, darlin’.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeeek, it has begun! I can't wait to share the rest of the story! Comments and reviews welcome, but please remember that I am only up to lesson 17 on the game so as such, this story may not follow canon information. As I play the game, I might integrate more from the game, but who's to say? More plot will be revealed next chapter, and Mammon will be more energetic, I promise! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn’t long before Lucifer blew up Mammon’s phone with numerous calls and messages, so within thirty minutes Mammon and Rhin were on their way to the demon realm, their teas untouched. There was no hope of drying his clothes before their departure, but he refused to wear the sweatpants out into the world despite Rhin’s insistence that he looked _fine_ , so he kept her hoodie and his wet jeans and they departed. Luckily the rain had lessened to where neither were too wet by the time they reached the portal. 

“Why couldn’t it open at my apartment?” Rhin asked as they stepped through. Flashes of pink and white lights shimmered around them and within seconds, they had been transported to the main thoroughfare of the Devildom. Mammon immediately stepped out onto the street and beelined towards his favorite coffee shop. 

“Dunno,” he said plainly, glancing over his shoulder at Rhin. “They’ve been wonky lately. Ask Lucifer if ya really wanna know.” He stepped quickly and Rhin had to jog to catch up. It was like he was trying to put distance between them, since he sped up even more. 

“What is with you? Slow down, Mammon!” She grabbed his arm and yanked him back to slow his pace. 

“Shhh!” he cried, trying to disengage Rhin’s hand from his arm. “You don’t know what you’re doing! I’m just gonna grab a quick cup o’ coffee and be right out! Stay here!”

Rhin huffed and annoyance rippled across her face, but he ducked inside before she could follow. Demons crowded the streets, filling them more than any street Rhin had ever seen in the human realm, but she supposed night life probably suited most demons anyways. It made sense to see people dolled up and out on the prowl for some entertainment. The weather there was warmer and unblemished by rain, so Rhin slowly started drifting down the rows of shops, curious to see what items they had in store. 

A lot of lavish clothing and décor were on display in the majority of the windows, although soon enough she came across a newsstand. Since being in the human world, she hadn’t the faintest idea what events had occurred in the demon community, so she was intrigued to find a picture of Asmodeus and two other men on the cover of one of the many magazines lining the walls. Unfortunately, it was written in a language Rhin didn’t recognize, so she couldn’t make out the title. She was about to ask another customer to translate for her when Mammon appeared out of nowhere and yanked her outside. She dropped the magazine on their way out.

“I said stay put!” he hissed, coffee in hand. His hood was pulled down over his eyes and shades were on. At night. “You can’t just go wandering off! I know you spent a lot of time here, but you just can’t be too careful! Don’t leave my side!”

Rhin snorted loudly and snagged the cup from his hand. “Gee, thanks for the drink, Mammon. How thoughtful of you for leaving me _alone_ to go get it.” She raised the cup to take a sip and a bright flash of light stunned her before she could taste. 

Mammon nearly jumped out of his skin and quickly stepped in front of Rhin, shielding her from the flashing light. “Let’s move!” he barked, tugging Rhin so roughly that she dropped their coffee on the ground. “Hey-” she cried, scrambling to keep up. “What the hell, Mammon? You’ve been weird since you showed up at my house. Will you-” She tugged back. “Stop-” Another tug. “ Pulling me!”

She wrenched her arm free and stumbled blindly backwards. Somehow Mammon managed to move from his place a few feet ahead of Rhin to catch her before she toppled over. But she jabbed her elbow into his chest as she pushed off of him anyways. 

“Ow! Hey! No need to get pushy!”

“No need to get pushy?” she yelped. “You just pulled me around like some rag doll! You’re supposed to be my escort, not some maniac!”

Mammon’s ears pinked and he stammered, “E-escort? Wh-what gave you that impression! I’m not gonna- I mean, I’m not-- We’re just--” A strangled sound caught in his throat. “I’m just bringing you to Diavolo!”

“Not _that_ kind of escort, jackass!”

They were interrupted as Diavolo appeared out of thin air a short distance from them. The demon prince looked exactly as Rhin remembered, just like Mammon had. If anything, he was even more jacked than before. A charming smile painted his lips and he greeted Rhin warmly by taking both her hands in his. “Ah, Rhin! It’s wonderful to see you again. I heard you two had made it back so I thought to meet you. Why don’t we head inside, hm? Lucifer has been impatiently waiting this whole time, no matter how much I tell him a short delay doesn’t change things…”

Rhin’s head spun as she turned around to see Diavolo’s mansion behind her, where it hadn’t been moments before. The man ushered them inside his estate and led them to a back room hidden behind three locked doors. A large, holographic globe of the human realm floated in the air before them, and behind it stood Lucifer, the eldest demon himself. He was dressed down, which was saying something for the proud demon. His elegant coat lay on a nearby chair back, and his red tie was loosened around his neck. It took Rhin extreme concentration not to stare at his exposed forearms; the room being as hot as it was, he had rolled up his sleeves, exposing more skin than she could ever remember having seen on him.

Despite the near-sweltering heat, Mammon seemed determined to stay by her side and remind her of his presence _constantly_ while Lucifer was in the room. Rhin found it endearing, and despite everything, part of her still feared this was all a dream and he would disappear any instant. So she held onto the sleeve of his hoodie, hoping he wouldn’t say anything about it.

“I wish we were meeting elsewhere,” Lucifer began, a bead of sweat dripping down his brow. “But considering how busy we are, this will have to do. Consequently, I do apologize for sending Mammon to pick you up; I had wanted to go myself, but other assignments could not be delayed. As it turns out, Mammon is the only one of us so readily available as to make the trip.”

Mammon grinned cheekily at mention of his name. “I’m done with my assignments while Lucifer here is still working on his!”

The elder brother raised an eyebrow at Mammon. “Yes, but your task was also the simplest of everyone’s.”

“Simple? SIMPLE?” Mammon sputtered, pointing a finger at Lucifer. “It was anything but! Merging the two worlds’ finances and creating an exchange system was EXHAUSTING! I didn’t have time to spend any of the money I skimmed off the top!”

“What was that?”

Rhin stepped on Mammon’s foot and interjected over his yelp, “So what’s going on, exactly? We’re merging something?”

“Yes,” Diavolo smoothed, “We are. Do you remember the purpose of the exchange program you were part of?”

“...to bridge gaps between the three realms?” 

“Yes, more or less. It was to begin building stronger relationships. And what that exchange program has taught me in its two years running is this: we can do more. We can engage with more humans, and they with us. So we have spent the past year preparing for that engagement; we are going to introduce ourselves to the human realm. In fact, we’ve already begun.”

He led them forward towards the floating sphere. Most of the globe was translucent, but a thin layer of sand flowed throughout. Everything moved slowly, like pollen atop a creek. Tiny particles formed the earth’s continents for the briefest of moments before continuing across the globe and shifting to form the next land mass. She recognized Levi’s name written in slanted script above an orange cluster of sand near what looked like Japan. It wasn’t moving. In fact, the other pings of color weren’t moving either. Red, pink, green, and purple. Each spot had one of the brother’s names resting beside it.

“Levi’s in Japan?” Rhin questioned, and Lucifer took over responding. “Yes, he is working with our current exchange student Char on merging our worlds’ communication systems, among other things. Which reminds me, you’ll be needing this until that project is complete.” He turned and grabbed a stray DDD device that had been lying on a table nearby. “It’s the same one you had last time you were here, so all of your old messages and contacts should still be there. Oh, but I’ve added the new exchange students’ contact information as well in case you need to get in touch with them. They’ve been immensely helpful with our integration efforts.”

Lucifer placed the object in Rhin’s palm and drifted back to the globe. “All of my brothers are in the human world, with Mammon being the exception of course. Personally, I think he rushed his own job to get to you, but he insists otherwise…” 

The timbre of his voice trailed off and Diavolo clapped a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder. “Aha, Lucifer always forgets how efficient Mammon can be when he puts his nose to the grindstone. Which is why we tasked him with our currency exchange! We knew he’d be the only one fit for the job.” He flashed a smile and stepped closer to Rhin then, his eagerness making him look almost boyish. 

“Just like we knew you would be perfect for the next stage of our plan. Now, I know you’re wondering why we’ve dragged you down here... “

Rhin’s eye twitched at the obviousness of his statement. 

“...and normally I would explain, but I must defer to Lucifer, as I have another meeting to attend. But I do hope you accept.” Diavolo cupped Rhin’s hands in his and gave one firm shake before taking his leave out the same doors they came. 

Lucifer cleared his throat and brushed hair from his eyes. “Yes, well we _do_ have a job we would like to offer you. However, I know you already have a human job--” 

Mammon tapped his foot impatiently.

“And you may have some close human relationships--”

Rhin could practically hear Mammon clench his jaw in annoyance, or perhaps disbelief.

“But all will have to be put on hold for this job, at least temporarily. We are under a time constraint and we need your undivided attention for this to be successful. Which means that,” Lucifer took a quick breath and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, “although I advised against it…”

Mammon clapped his hands together and jumped in front of his brother, successfully blocking him from Rhin’s view. “We’ll be working together indefinitely! Isn’t that AWESOME? It’ll be just like old times when I was your mentor here at RAD- except this time, no more boring classes, no more bullshit assignments, no more brothers to get in our way! I’m going to make sure that you and I --”

“Stay _safe_ ,” Lucifer finished, glaring at Mammon. “He is to keep you safe should any mishaps occur. He should also keep you on task and focused on our goal, though I doubt he’ll be of much help with that. But he should serve as a constant reminder of our goal here, if nothing else.” He stepped aside so that he could see Rhin beyond Mammon’s frame. “The only reason we’ve assigned Mammon instead of Beelzebub or Satan is because Beel and Satan are occupied with their own tasks and Mammon--”

“Already completed mine!” he cheered, bouncing giddily on his heels. “So you’ve got me all to yourself!”

Rhin still hadn’t figured out what the job was exactly, but the thought of being with Mammon for - well she wasn’t sure how long - sounded… surreal. This whole experience was as surreal as the first time she had been brought to the Devildom. Only this time, she had some experience to help her navigate the terrain.

She hummed to herself and sidestepped Mammon, who was looking at her with an intoxicating dazzle to his sapphire eyes, and instead focused on the map of Earth. Beel was in the United States, Asmo was in Europe, Levi was in Japan, Satan was somewhere in Africa, and Belphie was in… “The north pole?” Rhin mused, tilting her head towards Lucifer. 

He nodded simply and gave an exasperated sigh as his hair fell back into his eyes. “Yes, he’s in what you call the north pole. It’s a fantastic location for accessing multiple intelligence points at once. But for your task, you’ll likely be traveling to multiple locations across the globe, or at least the major ones for now.” He lifted his arm and swiped across the edge of the globe, shifting the sand so that it zoomed in on Rhin’s home country. “But you’ll be starting in the United States, with some brief travel to London intermittently.” 

“And I’ll be with you the entire time!” Mammon chimed in. “Since you can’t travel through our warp gates on your own, I’m your ticket across the country _and_ between worlds! Think of me as your good luck charm!”

Rhin’s head began to throb, and she closed her eyes. Even in that darkness, she could still see the swirling sands on the globe changing shape… and she could feel something clicking into place inside her. The past sixteen months left her unfulfilled. She knew that something was missing from her life, and it might have walked through her front door step that very night. 

There were still _a lot_ of unanswered questions, more than she could even think of in that moment, but her heart swelled at Mammon’s animated chatter behind her, the smooth calm of Lucifer’s responses, and the swirl of familiarity in the air. A little risk, a little uncertainty, a little danger couldn’t hurt, right? Wasn’t it better than whatever she had waiting for her in her empty third-floor apartment?

She turned to the boys and their conversation ceased instantly. Both looked to her expectantly, like she held the keys to their futures in her hands. Mammon’s excitement had shifted to apprehension, judging by the way he shifted his weight from foot to foot and kept fidgeting with his rings. But Lucifer looked sure of her answer, a soft smile curling on his lips. 

“I have a lot of questions,” she said finally, satisfied when Lucifer’s smile faded. “About why you’ve been keeping me in the dark. Why no one bothered to contact me until now. Why this has been going on for _over a year now_ and in MY world, without anyone saying anything to me.” She took a breath to gauge Lucifer’s reaction but he remained stone still. He wasn’t going to crack. “I want those questions answered before I make my decision.”

“You don’t want to know what the job is about?” Lucifer asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

She looked at Mammon then, and even though his brother had mastered the art of keeping his emotions in check, Mammon had a lot left to learn. His eyes were a stormy gray, and he worried his lip between his teeth as he looked to Rhin, pleading for her forgiveness without even realizing he was doing it. 

Rhin knew without a doubt that the brothers would have visited her if they had the chance. If they had been _allowed._ Which meant that someone had stopped them, probably by force. And there were only two demons capable of doing that. In truth, she didn’t think it was Lucifer; he would do anything for his family, and that included her in a sense. So someone else was pulling the strings and shutting her out…

“Where did Diavolo go?” she asked.

“He had other matters to attend to.”

“Mhm,” Rhin clicked. “Sure he did.”

Lucifer’s demeanor darkened, and Rhin swore she saw his blackened wings unfurling when she blinked. “You think he’s a coward?” he asked coolly, Mammon shivering at his side. “I’d be careful with what you’re insinuating. Some words can’t be taken back.”

Mammon’s silent pleading grew more insistent and Rhin tore her gaze from Lucifer to watch him. He brightened by a degree, but only for a quick moment before his eyes clouded in warning. She gazed openly at him now, from the white of his hair to the point of his nose, down to the hoodie he had borrowed, then to his favorite pair of boots and back up again. 

Warmth curled in her chest as she thought of how, just one short hour ago, they had been alone and away from all of this. The moment had been _real._ And she wanted to be there again, wrapped in his arms, his hand in her hair and his touch on her skin.

She had to make a choice. Right _now._

And she chose him.

As her eyes returned to Lucifer’s, it was clear he knew that Diavolo had won.

“Welcome to the team, Rhin. Our new Human Relations Specialist.”

Mammon let out a sigh of relief that he quickly covered with a loud cheer, placing his arm across Rhin’s shoulders in a show of enthusiasm. “Yesss, I knew you’d come around! It was my charm that sold it, wasn’t it? That’s usually what seals the deal, you know--”

Rhin forced a laugh and tried to punch his arm but he deftly dodged, another reminder of his inhuman reflexes. “You’re the one who’d be lost without _me_ ” she quipped before glancing at Lucifer. “I still need the job description and expectations, and I know you won’t let us leave until there’s no room for error, Lucifer.”

He nodded in confirmation. “We’ll actually meet about that now to go over all of the details. Since most of this is top-secret information, you’ll not be able to take any notes, so it’s imperative that both you _and_ Mammon pay close attention since you’ll be working together on this. If you forget anything, you’ll have to travel back here so that I can brief you again. Are you ready, or do you need a break before we begin?”

“How long is this going to take?” Mammon asked, his arm still around Rhin’s shoulders. “It’s just a job description, right? This will be, what, thirty minutes tops?”

Lucifer’s scowl told Mammon otherwise. “Oh no, I’m not sitting for another one of your lectures - they last days! DAYS! I’ll go set up the house while you two go over the boring stuff--”

He didn’t make it a single step before Lucifer slammed into him and forced him into a chair. “Not only do we have to make sure you’re fully aware of your responsibilities, but we also have to prepare for a press conference in a few days.”

“Press conference?” Rhin sat beside Mammon and tried not to laugh at how pitiful he looked. 

“Yes,” Lucifer murmured. “We’re going to introduce ourselves to your world.”

He began covering some basic information, and although Rhin did her best to pay attention, she couldn’t shake the thought that Mammon’s sudden appearance at her door wasn’t serendipitous after all.


	3. Chapter 3

In the two short days leading up to the conference, Rhin found herself alone. _Again._

Mammon had delivered her to her doorstep and told her to pack her belongings, make all those phone calls Lucifer had mentioned during their meeting, and set up appointments for interviews and press conferences because ‘we’re going to be all over your human news, taking your world by storm!’ 

“Where will you be? I thought you said that you were going to stay by my side,” Rhin sighed, unsure if she should truly be surprised at this turn of events. He was always leaving her. 

“I will be!” Mammon assured her, picking up his jacket and shirt that remained on her kitchen floor. “I’ve just got one more loose end to tie up.” Upon seeing Rhin’s body language, arms crossed, remaining a safe distance from him, he frowned. “I _promise_ I’m coming back, okay? Although if you’re really hell-bent on finding me, that might not be so bad,” he added cheekily. But Rhin didn’t smile, and his forehead crinkled in concern. “It’s just one last thing I have to do. Then I’m coming back for you.”

Rhin remained silent, unconvinced, so he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I know I haven’t been around. I _know_ that hurt- and believe me, I didn’t like it any more than you- but you’re just going to have to trust me. If we’re going to be partners, there has to be a level of trust. And I know on some level, you must trust me because you didn’t slam your door in my face last night, like you could have. Maybe _should_ have.” 

He dropped his clothes to the floor again and closed the distance between them, placing his hand on the counter Rhin was pressed against and gripping the edge until his knuckles turned white. “I’m starting to figure some things out, Rhin, and it’s taken me a long time to piece it together. And I’m not always as-” He took a sharp breath. “Well, I’m not Lucifer, and I’m not Asmo, okay? But while you were gone, I just…” His voice deepened, and a blush crept across his cheeks. “I won’t leave you again, okay? Not unless you want me to.”

Before Rhin could respond, he removed his death grip from the granite countertop and turned away from her, picking up his discarded clothes. Without saying anything more, he tugged Rhin’s charcoal gray hoodie over his head and set it on the kitchen table. Then he quickly redressed in his normal clothes, seeming not to care how wrinkled and stiff they were from lying on the floor all night. With his back still turned, he picked up her hoodie and stared down at it in his hands. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He turned and thrust the garment towards Rhin, but kept his eyes down. “Wait for me. _Please._ ” 

And then he was gone, moving too fast for Rhin’s eyes to follow. All that signaled his departure was the loud slam of the front door closing. 

It had been two days since then, two restless days with Rhin cooped up in her home. Lucifer had given her a lengthy list of tasks to do, not unlike he had in the past, but the sheer volume of communications and introductions as her new role in the “Human Relations” department (Lucifer seemed tickled pink about the name, so Rhin assumed he came up with it on his own) took up most of her time. It turned out that Lucifer had already made the plans for the press conference himself, but they needed a human involved on their end so that anyone wary of the demons’ presence might be soothed by her own. 

Although, Rhin wasn’t sure if her role was necessary; she could tell just by talking with the humans involved in Diavolo’s plan that they were smitten with some of the brothers, no doubt because of their looks and charm. It made Rhin wonder why they needed her at all, honestly, but perhaps she wasn’t seeing the full side of things yet.

The day of the press conference arrived, and Rhin was to meet with the humans’ coordinator at the United Nations, something that was so nerve-wracking, she was sure she would vomit. But it turned out that their coordinators were just like her, scheduling and monitoring and ensuring things ran smoothly for their bosses, no matter how high-ranking those bosses were. 

Rhin guessed that she, too, now reported back to similar high-ranks in the demon community, but it wasn’t something she really liked to think about.

The conference was being held in New York, whose weather was much cooler than Rhin desired. A breeze blew right through her blazer and she shivered. 

Asmodeus, her guide for the day instead of Mammon, tutted aloud. “Oh, someone should have warned you to wear something warmer! I should have known you would have been unprepared, but I thought since we’re in your realm that surely you knew of its climate better than I.” He removed the scarf from around his neck and draped it carefully over Rhin’s own. “There, now you look even more dazzling.” 

They hadn’t been together long; in truth, he arrived that morning and they had only just enough time to teleport to New York to help get everything ready. Rhin wasn’t exactly sure why Asmo was there, and he didn’t let on. Instead, he filled the air with talk of his latest flings. “Oh, darling, you wouldn’t believe it! Ever since this project began, we’ve been all the rage in the Devildom! Suitors left and right, courting me, teasing me! It’s enough to make anyone go mad!” He took a deep breath but then snapped his attention back to Rhin so quickly that she jumped.

“However… Almost as important as my own conquests, a little birdy told me that you and Mammon were getting cozy, hmm?” Asmo’s eyes lightened to a pearly shade of pink and he chuckled. “Are you trying to make me jealous? Or the whole world, for that matter? Best be careful, dear, or you’ll get eaten alive, y’know.” He laughed louder this time, throwing a hand over his mouth in false modesty. “But I suppose that won’t be a problem now that Mammon’s claimed you. But I’d still be careful; not all demons abide by the rules, you know, even if it’s one of us who’s done the claiming.”

Rhin blinked and caught herself gaping with her mouth wide open. She quickly sealed her lips and leaned closer to the Avatar of Lust. “He what? Asmo, what are you talking about?” She had to whisper since the conference was about to start, and they were standing near one of the many cameras in the room.

Confusion rippled across Asmodeus’ face before it was replaced by sharp anger. “Oh, don’t tell me that he hasn’t told you! That IDIOT! He’s going to ruin everything before it even begins!” 

Multiple people turned to Asmo then and gave him dirty looks, but he was no longer paying attention to them, which Rhin found odd since he normally thrived under any sort of scrutiny. 

“Quiet down, Asmo! We can’t leave a bad impression!”

“I’ll tell you who’s left a bad impression,” he hissed into Rhin’s ear. “That no-good, rotten, brother of mine! Oooh, he better watch out because I’ll claw his goddamned eyes out!”

Rhin smiled sheepishly at Lucifer, who was watching them from his place on stage. An unamused glower marred his features for just a second before he brightened and returned to his chatter with the humans on stage with him. 

When Rhin turned to Asmo, he was already storming off backstage. The lights dimmed around them and she turned her attention back to the main event, trying to forget whatever the hell had just happened. 

The conference went off without a hitch. Lucifer was elegant and alluring on every monitor, introducing himself to the world as one of the demons who was now occupying their realm, hoping to make their acquaintance. The cameras couldn’t catch a bad angle; he was glowing in a way that Rhin had never seen before. Truly, he was the embodiment of pride while atop that stage. 

Rhin’s attention wavered as a stranger settled beside her. 

“Mm, is that really a demon? _Look_ at him. It’s no wonder we’ve been selling our souls for centuries. I’d give him any part of me he desired.” 

She turned to the woman and found that she wasn’t even blinking. All of her focus was on Lucifer, and when he laughed and smiled to his audience, she smiled too. Rhin glanced between the woman and Lucifer a few times and found that her expressions mirrored his. In fact, Rhin now noticed that multiple people around the room, both men and women, were doing the same exact thing.

Not everyone was affected, but a fair few were. “Are you okay?” Rhin asked her neighbor, but the woman didn’t seem to hear her. It was like she was entranced by his beauty. “Hello?” She reached up to touch the woman’s shoulder when a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a familiar voice said. “Humans can get violent if they’re interrupted. Don’t take it personally; this happens among the weaker ones. They get all touchy-feely over any demon that pays them any attention. Pitiful if you ask me, but man can it be useful-- I remember a few hundred years ago when--” 

“Mammon!” Rhin gasped, pulling her arm away. “What the hell are you doing here?”

He startled at her outburst and quickly pulled her away from the cameras, towards the back of the room. “Easy there, we don’t want to get on Lucifer’s bad side!” His hands were on her waist and he kept them there as he spoke. “What do you mean ‘what are you doing here?’ Of course I’m here. I’m one of the brothers taking the world by storm. Or did you forget to put my name on the pamphlet?” 

Rhin swatted at him and he held up his hands in defense. “Hey, easy! Easy! Geez, if I knew you’d hit me, I would have let you grab that human.”

“ _Where have you been_?” Rhin seethed, ready to smack him again. “I’ve been doing all of this on my own!”

“I _told_ you, there was one last thing I had to finish! And don’t worry, I was successful. ‘ _Thank you, Mammon._ ’” He smiled wolfishly, baring what decidedly looked like fangs. “You’re welcome, Rhin. Happy to help.”

Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms and turned back to the stage. They were wrapping things up now. She felt Mammon slide closer to her, pressing his chest against her shoulder. His breath tickled her ear. 

“You did a good job, Rhin. This looks awesome,” he offered gently. “I knew you could do it.”

Although the praise dissolved her annoyance, she remembered what Asmo had said to her earlier and her skin began to tingle. She felt Mammon’s fingers press against one of her hips, and she bit her lower lip. 

_But I suppose that won’t be a problem now that Mammon’s claimed you…_

“Mammon,” she began, trying to ignore the way his fingers pressed more firmly against her, “What does it mean for a demon to claim someone?”

He flinched and drew in a breath. Rhin could feel him move away from her. “I-it’s uhh… How did you hear about that?”

“Something Asmo said,” Rhin answered, tilting her head to peer over at the man. He was wearing a black and yellow vest that absolutely suited him and brought out the flecks of gold in his eyes. It was hard for her to look away, but she did so to appear casual. “He seemed upset about it.” 

Mammon looked panicked, like a secret had been found out and Lucifer was on his way to deliver punishment. But more than that, the now-familiar flush coating his cheeks deepened to an absolute red, and he seemed ready to run in flight, as far away from Rhin as he could get. 

Which was the exact opposite of what she wanted. 

She sighed. “Mammon, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but if we’re going to be partners…” she pursed her lips and decided to use his own words against him. “There has to be a level of trust here. You can’t keep leaving me in the dark about whatever is going on. If it’s about money or whatever else you’re greedy about, that’s okay, we’ll figure it out. I’m here for you no matter what happens.”

When she glanced back at him, he had settled, looking pensive. Serious. 

“Are you sure?” he asked calmly, locking eyes with Rhin. They looked deep as the darkest ocean, yet shimmering with golden specs of hope. “I need you to be one hundred percent sure.”

Rhin opened her mouth to respond, but one of the UN correspondents jogged over to them and cut her off. The conference was over and Lucifer was asking for her. 

“Go,” Mammon said plainly. “The humans should have calmed down by now, so you should be safe. We’ll talk later. But find me before you leave; we’ve got somewhere we need to go.”

The UN official guided Rhin to Lucifer’s room, leaving Mammon in their wake. As they entered the hallway, she glanced back to find Asmo’s back to her as he no doubt chided his older brother. 

Mammon’s eyes never left her, even as she slipped away into a crowd. 

\- O - 

“Rhin,” Lucifer greeted, smiling warmly. “I trust my brothers weren’t too difficult to handle in my absence?” 

Rhin frowned, unsure exactly what to say here. “I keep feeling like I’m always one step behind everyone.” She added, “which might be because I _was_ brought onto the project later than everyone else.”

Lucifer waved a hand as though dismissing her concern with such a simple gesture. “I assure you, that was not our intention. However, we have other matters at hand we need to discuss.”

Of course, deflection. 

“Beelzebub called me a few moments ago. I assume he called you as well?”

“I haven’t--” Rhin pulled her DDD out of her jacket pocket and found that Beel had called her ten times. The fact that he even had the motivation to do so told her that something was wrong. “My sound was off,” she admitted. “I didn’t want to interrupt the conference.”

Glancing at Rhin through the mirror’s reflection, Lucifer sighed. “I appreciate the sentiment but you really need to be available 24/7. If I’m busy, my brothers have been instructed to contact you first. You will always be their first point of contact. Am I clear?”

Rhin didn’t have a choice but to nod. 

“Now, about his message… It seems we have a problem. Has Mammon told you what Beel’s assignment is?”

“Mammon doesn’t tell me much of anything,” Rhin griped, before catching herself and forcing a smile. “Nope, I’m afraid not. What is Beel up to?”

“He’s in charge of making sure all humans are protected while demons are in your realm, or while humans are in ours. He’s no longer my bodyguard, but all of humankind’s.” Lucifer paused to gauge Rhin’s reaction. When she didn’t say anything, he continued. “Well, a particularly… unsavory incident has occurred, and I need you and Mammon over there immediately. You’ll leave now. Asmo will ensure you don’t miss anything here, as he’ll be taking notes and sending them to you later tonight.”

Rhin’s lips twitched into another frown. This job was becoming exceedingly complicated. “What exactly happened?”

The Avatar of Pride leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. With his head perched atop his hands, he looked almost threatening. “A murder… of humans. We can’t allow this to leak into the press.” His eyes flashed and Rhin felt her heart drop. “It looks like a demon was involved. I need you to figure out why that is.”

The door opened and Asmo led Mammon into the room. From the mirror, she saw Mammon’s eyes still locked onto hers. All she wanted to do was lose herself in them… or perhaps, find herself.

But that was going to have to wait.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Descriptions of gore in this chapter. If you want to skip it, please skip the line break section in the text.

“Mammon--”

“Not now.”

“Can’t we just--”

“I said not now.”

“But you always want to do things right now! There’s no such thing as waiting with you!”

Upon Lucifer’s announcement, Rhin and Mammon were ushered out of the conference building and towards the closest warp gate. In fact, Mammon practically dragged Rhin towards it, seemingly determined to get as far away from Lucifer as possible. 

Now in California, the pair had been walking towards Beel’s supposed location for about fifteen minutes. Beel’s DDD tracker placed him somewhere in the San Francisco area, although the demon himself said he was working with the local police department. Mammon and Rhin were on their way there. The only problem was that Mammon refused to talk to her, no matter how hard she tried. 

The white-haired demon had been walking a steady six feet ahead of Rhin the entire time, garnering the couple odd looks from passerby as Rhin continued attempting to hail him down. “Mammon, I--”

Before she could finish her statement, he was pressed against her, not allowing more than a single inch’s space between them. Roughly grabbing Rhin’s chin in his hand, he forced her to look up at him but wouldn’t allow her to get any closer than that one blessed inch. “Rhin,” he stated calmly. “How many times do I have to tell you no before it gets through that fragile little skull of yours?” 

His complete sense of control over the situation made Rhin’s flesh break out in goosebumps. She wasn’t sure if it was unsettling… or _something else_.

Mammon continued without pause. “I promise you, we will talk. You’re right, normally I can’t wait for anything. I hate waiting. _Everyone_ knows that. But for you? I can wait. I am forcing myself to wait. Do you know why?”

Rhin attempted to shake her head, but his grip was too strong. 

One corner of Mammon’s lips turned upwards in a half-smile. “You’re worth the wait.” He held perfectly still for a moment, ensuring his words sunk in, before releasing her from his grip. 

In that moment as Rhin looked into Mammon’s eyes, she saw something that easily took her breath away. A blue flame, cerulean at the tip and nearly black at its base, flickering in the depths of his eyes. It was small; just a sliver of light. If she hadn’t been so close to him, she doubted she would have even noticed. But she saw it, and she wondered how she had never noticed it before. 

“Oh, and there’s the teeniest, tiniest little uhh…” Mammon glanced over his shoulder at Rhin and kept walking without looking where he was going. “...thing,” he finished slowly. “If we don’t complete whatever Lucifer gives us fast enough, or if he thinks we’re distracted or not working well together, he promised to split us up. In fact, he threatened that _he_ would start working with you instead. The nerve of that guy! As if he could do a better job than me, The Great Mammon!”

They approached the San Francisco Police Department Headquarters as Mammon scoffed aloud at the thought. “You’ll just have to remind him that I’m the only demon for the job. Got it? Can’t have him putin’ his grimy fingers all over you. Pfft. As if I’m going to let that happen.” 

At this point, it was clear that he wasn’t listening for her response and merely rambling to console himself. But at least it informed Rhin that there was a reason he was in such a rush, even if she disagreed with its necessity. 

He held the door open for her when they reached the front of the building. Inside, the AC was still on and Rhin was reminded of the chill from New York. Had she really been across the country just a little while ago? 

“Hey!” Mammon called out, slamming his palm on the counter as he approached the reception area. “We’re here for Beelzebub, the red-headed demon who’s working some murder case. It’s a bad one, so you must have heard about it. He should be raiding your break room for snacks right about now. Hey, Beel! It’s Mammon and Rhin! C’mon out already!”

Rhin pressed in front of Mammon and smiled apologetically at the man seated across from them through the glass screen. “Please excuse my colleague’s lack of manners. My name is Rhiannon Hale and this is my partner Mammon…” Rhin blinked when she realized that she didn’t know if Mammon had a last name. “...we’re working with the Morningstar Task Force on a case.” She quickly pulled out the HR badge that Lucifer had given her the night of their initial meeting and placed it in the transaction drawer. When she held up her hand to take Mammon’s own badge, he placed it in her palm without hesitation. 

Once their badges were looked over, the attendant pushed a speaker button and spoke into a microphone. Rhin couldn’t hear through the soundproof glass, but Mammon rolled his eyes behind her. 

“Beel isn’t here,” he said sourly. “They’re sending someone else to greet us and take us to him. Man, Levi needs to work on upgrading our DDDs’ trackers because this is such bullshit. Relying on humans to do everything! Ha! What a joke.”

Rhin ignored his outburst and watched the door for their guide. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a familiar shock of blue hair through the glass, and she took a breath as the door opened.

Mammon must have noticed something was up since he immediately honed in on MC’s distress. “What’s wrong?” he asked, taking a step in front of her on instinct. Eyes narrowed, he peered at the man approaching and determined him to be the threat. “Do I need to knock him out? Rhin?”

The man stopped a few feet in front of them and raised a brow at the scene before him. “This must be that guy Mammon you’ve told me so much about.” He eyed the demon skeptically before bypassing him to place his hand between Rhin’s shoulder blades and lead her out of the building.

“HEY!” Mammon choked, disbelief coating his tongue. “Who do you think you are, huh? She’s MY partner, human! Not yours!”

When Rhin looked back to Mammon, a hint of pink dusted her cheeks, and Mammon’s face reddened as his blood began to boil at whatever the fuck was going on. 

“Mammon,” Rhin gasped, “this is Luke, my…” She hesitated for a beat when she saw the agitation written all over Mammon’s face. “Friend.” Swallowing, she forced herself to continue. “He’s actually a federal agent, although I didn’t know he was working here, or on this case. What _are_ you doing here, Luke?”

They exited the building and Mammon had to catch the door before it slammed in his face. 

“Well if you answered your phone every once in a while, you would know,” Luke addressed Rhin softly, a hint of teasing in his voice. He turned to Mammon then and nodded as a form of greeting. “Special Agent West. I’ve been assigned to your ‘Morningstar Task Force’ on our end.” Gesturing between himself and Rhin, he attempted to imply that they were both working for the humans. 

“ _Our_ end?” Mammon questioned, only for Luke to lead Rhin away again, the demon’s inquiry lost in the wind. He wasn’t used to being ignored like this outside of his own home, and his skin prickled in annoyance. Sliding his tongue across his teeth, he quickly maneuvered next to Rhin and held the car door as she ducked inside.

“Thanks, Mammon.” She smiled, and it calmed Mammon marginally.

He had to sit in the back. 

“I found out the other day that we were assigned to the same task force,” Luke began, glancing in Rhin’s direction as he spoke. “That demon Lucifer, the one I saw on TV at the press conference this morning? He’s the one who set this whole thing up with our government, this ‘task force.’ I’ve got to hand it to him, he seemed very professional. I guess you did say he was the oldest, right?”

“Keep your eyes on the road,” Mammon grumbled from the back.

“I tried calling you, but I kept going to voicemail. You must have been busy. You’re working for the demons, right? I can get you a job on our end if you’d like.”

“She doesn’t need a damned job with you,” Mammon spat, leaning forward to fill the space between the two front seats. “She’s working with me. We’re _partners_.”

Luke peered at Mammon through the rearview mirror. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Rhin interjected quickly. “Yes, we’re partners. Mammon’s actually been very helpful.” She hoped that the demon would take some pride in the compliment, no matter how untrue it was. Maybe then he would chill out. “In fact, Mammon’s always been very helpful to me. When we were living in the Devildom, he protected me from all kinds of demons and helped me get to my classes.”

Not _entirely_ a lie. 

Luke nodded. “Well, if you ever decide to change sides, my door is always open. Remember that.” 

Rhin could see Mammon quietly mocking Luke in the backseat and she had to resist the urge to smack his knee. “Thank you,” she said quickly, now the one to eye Mammon through the rearview window. “But I doubt that will be necessary.” He looked immensely satisfied with himself when she said that.

They pulled up to a rather large house built in Spanish style architecture with red tiles on the roof, completely surrounded by yellow police tape and two cop cars. Their vehicle made a third. When Luke opened his door, his entire demeanor changed. “Rhin, you… might want to stay here. It’s not something for the faint of heart. It’s... “ He clenched his jaw. “It’s grotesque in there. Only a monster would be capable of this.”

Mammon seemed unfazed, _probably because he was a demon_ and put his hand on Rhin’s shoulder. “I’m sure my partner will be fine. She can do _anything_ , and I’ll be right beside her. She’s not like all you other humans with your sensitivities or whatever.”

Luke gestured to the house. “Then by all means, lead the way if you’re so sure. The crime technicians have already taken photographs and samples so you’re free to move things around or pick stuff up. They were waiting for your arrival before cleaning everything up. But if you want gloves, there’s a box on the doorstep.”

Taking Rhin’s hand in his own, Mammon led her into the house before she could accept said protective gear. As soon as they stepped through the doorway, his nose crinkled and he glanced down at Rhin. “Maybe... “ A look of concern crossed his face, but he shook his head as though clearing his emotions. “It’s up to you if you want to go any further. But I can already tell, it’s not going to be pretty. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a corpse before, but this one smells… well, there’s a lot of blood. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised to find less of a body here.”

Rhin wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean, but she steeled her nerves as best she could. “I at least need to know what we’re dealing with. Lucifer said the murder looked demonic, or like a demon was involved. But he didn’t tell me what that meant. You _obviously_ know what that means, but I still don’t. So, I should at least look at it so we’re on the same level of understanding.”

Mammon didn’t look convinced but he continued leading her through the house regardless. He passed by multiple rooms without hesitation. Clearly he had some sense of where the murder took place, or he could at least smell it. Rhin was grateful in that moment that she _was_ human.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But her thoughts quickly changed as Mammon led her down the hallway. At the end of it, a large open door revealed what looked like blood… sprayed across the carpet and back wall. Rhin held her breath as best she could to keep the metallic taste from her mouth, but it was no use.

With one last glance her way to see if she was sure, _and she was,_ Mammon led her inside. They were in a sitting room, one of many inside the home, and the room’s furnishings looked undisturbed. The only problem was that everything, from floor to ceiling, had at least one speck of blood on them. Rhin wasn’t sure how there was so much blood, to be honest, since she only counted two heads in the room.

She stared at the heads lying discarded on the floor, like trash discarded after a meal. And this _may have_ been someone’s meal. Body parts littered the floor, intestines seemed to hang from the chandelure, other random lumps of flesh were scattered around the room. Rhin thought she saw an arm thrown onto the vanity mirror and forced herself to focus on that, something simple, something she had seen before. It was just like a Halloween movie, she kept telling herself, only Halloween movies didn’t _smell_ like… this. 

The hair on her arms, her neck, quite possibly all over her body stood on end and she swallowed bile in the back of her throat. She didn’t know what to say. What to think. Mammon squeezed her hand and she turned to find him watching her, his eyes once again deep pools of blue, somehow calming her stomach. “We don’t have to stay here,” he murmured, “We can leave at any time. Okay?”

Rhin nodded, and from the corner of her eye she saw a figure move from an adjoining room into theirs. “I thought I smelled you, although it’s hard to smell anything over this place…”

“Beel!” Mammon cried, spotting his younger brother. “We thought you’d pick us up, not Agent South over there.”

“It’s Agent _West_ ,” Luke responded gruffly, arms crossed. “Shall we get started?”

Beel nodded. “So as you can see, this took a lot of strength. If you look at the severed limbs, well, what’s left of them… they were ripped apart by force. Torn from the body.” Beel wrung his hands together, seeming almost uncomfortable. “I can’t think of a human that could do that, and the agent here thinks the same. Not without some kind of tools, but the blood splatter makes it clear that the murders happened here, and we haven’t found any tools anywhere in the house.”

Rhin was listening, but she kept her eyes on the arm she had discovered. As her vision blurred, she shifted her weight and noticed movement in front of her. Blinking, she focused and found that the arm was resting in front of a mirror, and the movement was her own. She changed her focus to her own reflection, although she didn’t like what she saw. A fearful woman who’d grown pale, in stark contrast to the man still holding her hand. But he hadn’t let go yet, and Rhin focused on the feeling of contact between them. In truth, she wasn’t grossed out by the scene, although it was definitely something she didn’t care for, but what really chilled her was the fact that if a demon _did_ do this… how did they get into the human world? And how had Lucifer _not known_?

Beel and Mammon continued chatting, with Luke chiming in every so often. They discussed the other areas of the scene since it seemed that neither Mammon nor Rhin had any intention of surveying the room. Rhin caught snippets of the conversation, but she tried to focus on who the murderer could be or why this was important for her to figure out. 

“There’s actually three bodies,” Luke mentioned, “although we haven’t found a third head. Beel thinks the demon ate it.”

Beel nodded. “I would have if I had done this.”

“So you guys are sure the killer’s a demon? Not a human, not a witch or a sorcerer or anything?” Rhin pressed closer to Mammon and leaned onto his arm. “Just by looking at the body?”

Luke was the one who responded. He stared at Rhin and Mammon’s joined hands as he spoke, causing Mammon to puff his chest out a little more. He continued, “Well we can’t rule out human involvement, and we don’t actually want to. If anything, we need to spin this as a spree killer or a family annihilator, or anything really that ties it back to humans. If people get wind of this immediately after that press conference your guy did, they might jump to conclusions and think that demons did this.”

“Which they did,” Rhin pressed. “According to what Beel is saying and what we’re seeing here.”

“But we don’t know who did it,” Beel interjected. “It can’t have been one of us since we wouldn’t harm a human without cause. And even then, we try not to.”

Mammon spoke up then. “What’s weird about this one is how random the body parts are thrown around. See how there’s pieces all over the place?” He gestured with his free hand to point at the various limbs and flesh strewn about. “No demon would do that.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luke took a breath and tried to steer the conversation. “Why don’t we step outside if we’ve seen all we need, gentleman? Some fresh air might do us good.”

He must have noticed how Rhin’s face was starting to turn green. 

Mammon continued talking as they walked into another room. “Look, all I’m saying is that if this human had just gotten in this demon’s way, the demon wouldn’t have thrown shit all over the place. They wouldn’t have gone through the trouble.” He plopped down onto the nearest sofa and tugged Rhin to sit beside him. Once seated, he let go of her hand to run his own through his hair, messing it up even more than usual. “Why would they do all that?”

Luke sighed and murmured something about not touching the furniture.

Beel shook his head as though he didn’t have an answer. “Too hungry now to think. Can’t we go get some food first?” 

A loud growl admitted the truth to his statement. Rhin didn’t want to think that he was hungry _because_ of the mess they had just seen, but she wouldn’t put anything past the Avatar of Gluttony. The thought made her stomach churn even more, though, and Luke noticed first.

“That’s a good idea actually,” he said quickly. “Why don’t we all take a break? Get some air, like I mentioned. If you guys don’t mind heading back to the station with me for a minute, I need to inform the team here of some things before we head out.” Raising an eyebrow at Rhin as she passed him, Luke waited for everyone to leave the room before he followed them outside. She could feel his fingertips grazing her back as they exited the building.

The late afternoon sun warmed the chill in the air and brought color back to Rhin’s cheeks. She greedily sucked in sweet, fresh air and found that all three men were staring at her as she did so. “What?” she asked sharply, ducking under the police tape to avoid looking at them. “Are we going or what?”

All four of them piled into Luke’s car and drove back to the station. On the ride there, Beel and Mammon tossed around ideas of foods they could try, while Luke told them what was in the area that he’d noticed. Rhin sat in the front seat and replied only when she objected to a food option. Her thoughts were otherwise occupied with something Mammon had said earlier. If demons generally didn’t go through such effort when killing a human, why would the demon go through the trouble of staging the crime scene like that this time?

Did they want humans to find it and make the connection to the brothers? Why?

None of it made sense, but Rhin knew that they at least had to inform Lucifer. While Luke ran inside the station to gather his things, Rhin stepped out of the car to make a very important call.

\- o - 

Lucifer insisted they go home. “Leaving you there any longer than necessary only puts you in danger,” he stated repeatedly. “If it truly was a demon, they could still be in the area. They might have already seen you.”

Rhin could picture the eldest brother’s face just by hearing the concern in his voice. 

“Tell Mammon to take you home. Command him if you have to. Beel needs to continue onto his next assignment until further notice. What was the agent’s name you mentioned?”

“Agent Luke West,” Rhin replied. “I actually know him from before. I’m surprised you recruited him.”

Lucifer grew silent. “I didn’t,” he mentioned after a moment. “But one of my designees must have. If he learns anything more about the murder or anything related, make sure he contacts you. Remember, you are a major point of interest in this project, Rhin. If anything manages to leak into the press, you’ll be the person to speak to the public. Calm their fears. Assure them of how wonderful we are and that we’re only here as friends.”

Suddenly Rhin’s job description felt more overwhelming. “Is that all?” she asked cheekily. After a pause, she sighed. “Don’t worry, I’ll get the boys settled and get home. Make sure you get some rest too, alright? Don’t let Diavolo keep you up all night whispering plans in your ear.” She heard Lucifer chuckle. 

“Don’t let Mammon keep _you_ up with con schemes. And don’t let him find a way to gamble, either.”

“I won’t,” Rhin laughed. “Goodnight.”

Mammon overheard Rhin’s laughter and called out through the open window. “Hey! What’s so funny, eh? Did Lucifer make a joke?”

She shook her head. “No, but I do have some instructions.” As Mammon groaned and Beel complained about hunger again, she smiled. It was good to be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SIGH. I wanted to keep going SO BADLY but the next part is going to be so ~ juicy ~ that I just couldn't! Stay tuned for some deliiiicious Mammon time next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Lemon at the end of the chapter!

It didn’t take much to convince Mammon to take Rhin home. In fact, he seemed overjoyed at the idea and couldn’t wait to leave. Beel decided to walk with them to the warp gate since he, too, had to relocate.

“Rhin,” Luke called out just as she had told him goodbye and turned to leave. “Listen…” He crossed the space between them and gently took her hand. “I don’t know what’s going on between you and that demon,” he murmured, glancing across Rhin’s shoulder to eye the man at her back. He and Beel were facing the other direction, distracted by something shiny across the street. 

“But I thought _we_ had a good thing going here, before all this…” Luke sucked in a breath as he tried to find the right word. “Before all this weirdness,” he laughed softly and smiled at Rhin, squeezing her hand. “I don’t think it’s an accident that we’ve been assigned to this task force together. We can keep each other grounded. Sane. Okay?”

Luke looked so hopeful, so innocent in that moment that Rhin wanted to say yes. She really did. But she had already made her decision long ago, so long ago that she hadn’t even realized when she made it. And that decision always led her back to Mammon. She could hear his voice behind her and a rush of guilt coursed through her for even holding Luke’s hand. Gently, she tugged herself free and looked up at Luke.

Unwavering to the end, a glimmer of hope remained in Luke’s eyes. 

“I know we’ve had a nice time,” she began, trying to think of how to best respond. There was no way around it, however, so she decided to be as honest as possible. “But that ended the moment Mammon walked back into my life. Maybe even before then, honestly.” 

Confusion etched between Luke’s eyes as Rhin continued. “I can’t keep seeing you.

“I know that’s not fair to you, and I’m sorry. I didn’t expect this. I should have told you sooner, but it’s been so crazy these past few days.” She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear before Luke could reach up and do it for her. “You shouldn’t have found out this way. I should have told you sooner,” she repeated. “Again, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Luke eased, an understanding of the situation taking hold. He leaned even closer to Rhin then to whisper in her ear, causing her entire body to stiffen. “If you change your mind, or if he doesn’t… meet expectations,” he breathed smoothly, “you know how to find me.”

He straightened and smiled again, although Rhin was anything but comforted. “I’ll be seeing you, Rhin.” 

She did not hesitate to turn around. Linking her arms between both brothers, she led them down the sidewalk in the same direction she and Mammon had taken to get to the police department that same afternoon. They said their goodbyes to Beel as they settled upon the gate, and Mammon enclosed Rhin in his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world. It wasn’t necessary for the warp home together, but it made the quick teleport much easier on Rhin’s body. As her feet materialized on the hard earth below, her bones thanked her for Mammon’s added support.

When she opened her eyes, she realized they were nowhere near her apartment. Instead of the concrete jungle she was used to, they stood in someone’s backyard, complete with trees bordering the far side and the back door of the house sitting in front of them. The grass was browning for the coming winter, and a mixture of red, yellow, and orange leaves were already turning color and falling swiftly to ground. 

A strong gust of wind forced Rhin even closer to Mammon, and she gratefully clung to him and stole his body heat for herself. As she heard a deep chuckle, she glanced up to find her favorite white-haired demon grinning down at her. “Welcome home!” he cheered loudly. “C’mon, let’s go inside!”

“Wh-what?” Rhin balked, stumbling on a rock as Mammon steered her towards the back door. “This isn’t my apartment!” Mammon’s excitement was contagious and Rhin found herself smiling despite the lack of logic in their situation. “Did you steal the key to someone’s house? Break in, maybe?”

“Pfft! You really think I would do that?”

_”Yes!”_

“Well you’re wrong,” Mammon stated matter-of-factly. “This is my gift to you!” He hastily unlocked the door and led Rhin inside. The house was _insanely_ renovated on the inside, but in truth, Rhin didn’t expect much else from Mammon. “Isn’t it great!” he cried, gesturing to.[a black stone fireplace and the sleek design of the room.](https://homedesignlover.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wood-ceiling-livingroom.jpg) It clearly had a modern element to it. “I actually added the warmer wood tones since I thought you’d like that more. You always complained that my room in the House of Lamentation was too gray.” He continued walking through the house, expecting Rhin to follow.

She trailed behind him wordlessly. He did all of this… for her? There was no way. 

“And when we go upstairs,” he stated enthusiastically, “you’ll see the bedrooms!” 

He wasn’t lying. As soon as Rhin traipsed up the white carpet staircase, she found that the entire second floor of the house had been gutted out. In its place was a short hallway, if you could even call a six foot walkway a hallway, that lay perpendicular to the staircase, with two doors on either end. Mammon led Rhin to the door on the far right and opened it wide. Inside, [a room far too lavish for the house itself lay hidden from view to the outside world.](https://cdn.home-designing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Modern-master-bedroom-with-closet-ideas.jpg) “What did you do to this poor house?” Rhin cried, smiling as Mammon leapt onto his bed with reckless abandon. 

“What do you meaaaan?” he asked, his voice muffled from the blanket he had wrapped around himself. “This house was a dump before I got here! It took almost a year to fully renovate this thing! You humans work slow!”

Clothes lined one of the walls in its entirety, various knick-knacks and trinkets and boxes of _stuff_ filling its shelves. A row of boots lined the bottom row of the wall. As Mammon rolled around on his mattress in complete bliss with his material possessions, Rhin rolled her eyes and pointed across the hall to the other door. “What’s that room then?”

Mammon jumped up and shoved his blanket to the ground at his feet. After all that show of affection for the object, apparently it wasn’t that important. “I’ll show you!” Not giving Rhin a chance to change her mind, he pushed her down the hallway until they reached the door. Bouncing on his heels, he waited for her to open the door. “C’mooon,” he pleaded, resting his palms on her shoulders. “Don’t you want to know what’s inside?” 

Rhin’s grin mirrored his own as she pushed the door open. Inside, a simpler room in warmer colors greeted her. It was the only other room on the second floor. Mammon waited in the doorway as Rhin roamed from one wall to the next. [House plants invaded the corner of the room closest to the bed,](https://cdn2.paintzen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gold-yellow-paint-with-tree-paintzen.jpg) so she perused the other walls. As she came upon an exposed oak wood desk nestled beside a window seat, she noticed a picture of her and Mammon from a festival they had attended in the Devildom. It was in a large frame that looked poised for ample viewing time regardless of where one stood. “Is this my room?” she asked finally, crossing to the bed and sitting at its edge. From the bed, Mammon wasn’t but a few feet away by the door. The room was _much_ smaller than his own. 

Suddenly quiet, Mammon responded with a simple “yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck and peered at Rhin as though he hadn’t just renovated a room for her. “I knew you liked warmer colors than me, and Lucifer insisted you have your own space outside of my room. But c’mon, we all know we’ll be sleeping together.” His eyes widened as he realized what he said. “I mean, we’ll be spending so much time together! And if I’m keeping you safe, that’s best done with you in the same room as me. Obviously. I didn’t mean that-- I mean, not that I wouldn’t-- It’s just that-- Well, you know!”

As Mammon flustered about, Rhin crossed the short distance to him and hugged him tightly. “Thank you,” she murmured into his neck. “I love it. Really. You couldn’t have done a better job picking stuff out for me.”

She could feel his body relax into her. “You’re welcome.” They stood still and Rhin could have sworn she felt him press a kiss to her hair before he pulled away. 

“You ready for dinner?”

\- o - 

It wasn’t often that Mammon was allowed to cook, but if he was willing to continue his hospitable streak, Rhin wasn’t opposing. So she allowed him to cook human food - “I had to learn or _starve_ ,” he told her with a flair of dramatics. “Lucifer took Goldie away again!” - and it wasn’t that bad. In truth, it might have been better than what she could have produced on her own.

He lay on the couch as she rinsed the dishes and left them in the sink. His eyes were closed so she imagined he’d fall asleep any moment. 

Her pocket dinged as she sat near him on the couch. 

_Have you seen this yet?_

Beneath Levi’s message was the front cover of one of those Devildom magazines Rhin had spied in the market. Front and center was a familiar sight. A picture of her about to sip Mammon’s coffee, with Mammon close by trying to hide beneath his sunglasses and hood, stared back at her from the screen. A caption read “Has Mammon’s mystery girl finally been revealed?” Puzzled, Rhin opened her Devilgram app to find more images of her and Mammon from that night spamming her feed. 

“A witch snared one of the Devildom’s most eligible bachelors into her web!”

“A human lover? Devildom shocked as mystery woman revealed!”

Then a new image of Mammon speaking into a microphone appeared, with a caption stating:

_Second eldest upper demon Mammon addresses rumors of his eligibility for marriage. “Yeah, I’m already taken. How many times do I have to say it? I love someone and none of you are her so back off!”_

Rhin skimmed the magazine for more quotes from the man himself. A few of Mammon’s modeling photos accentuated the pages. Apparently the main attraction in the magazine was a feature about the brothers and their recent love lives… with multiple pages about Mammon and his secret lover… 

In an interview with one of Majolish’s spokeswomen, the writer highlighted a direct quote from the money-loving demon. In bold font in the middle of the page, twice the size of any other text, it read: “Yeah, I’ve claimed a human. So all of you demons need to back off and stop bothering me. She is _mine_ , and if you try to get in our way, there will be hell to pay.”

The article continued: “Will Mammon’s words ring true? The demon of all things greed and grim isn’t known for keeping his word. Is he serious about claiming a human? Will he be able to protect her from the mass of demons now vying for his hand - and his heart?” 

There were some other details translated in multiple languages, but Rhin couldn’t process any of it. Instead, she spent twenty minutes flipping through different media articles, Devilgram posts, essentially anything she could find on what Mammon had been up to while she was away. The only story that dominated her search feed, however, was about her, although she wasn’t mentioned by name. That, or some other human Mammon knew, which Rhin heavily doubted. 

She set her phone on the coffee table and sat in silence. It beeped a few times, no doubt Levi trying to get a hold of her again, so she turned the ringer off and set it face down on the table. Mammon’s soft breathing filled the space between them, and Rhin watched him slumber. He looked at peace. Serene. Almost like an angel, if she didn’t know any better.

Rhin wasn’t sure how she should be feeling, and the ringing noise racking around her skull made it impossible to think with any clarity. The tingle up her spine… The sweat on her palms… that was nerves, she knew. But about Mammon? Since when did he make her nervous? She leaned back into the couch cushions and tapped her fingers on her thigh. On the one hand, she was pissed that all this shit was happening right under her nose. That was clear by the adrenaline spiking through her veins. 

How _dare_ he bring her into Devildom politics or gossip or whatever the fuck it was. Did he think she would never find out? 

He had obviously planned on seeing her again if he spent time and money on renovating a room for her. And if the renovation took an entire year? He must have _known_ he would see her again… or at least blindly hoped for it. 

Part of her believed that he was enough of an idiot to do that.

But what the hell was this “claiming” thing she kept reading about? 

Tapping her teeth together in thought, she watched the man’s chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm. They had lit a fire around the time Mammon had started cooking, and its embers cast an orange glow across the room. She studied his face in the low light, trying to see through the mask he wore on a daily basis. It was obvious to everyone but himself that he cared for her. He even admitted to missing her, which was a step in the right direction. 

According to the articles and social media posts, though, he had bypassed taking a small step in that direction and taken a huge leap… _without her_. Rhin thought of what Asmo had said earlier that morning.

_Don’t tell me he hasn’t told you yet!_

Told her… what exactly? Everything she had just read online?

She took a breath and refocused her gaze. To her surprise, Mammon’s eyes were half open, the hazy fire glow softening their gaze. “Good murnnng,” he murmured lowly, yawning into the throw pillow. “You didn’t go to bed.” 

“Neither did you,” Rhin spoke softly. “You just took a little cat nap.” 

“Mmmmmmf,” he moaned, stretching his entire body in one movement. Rhin heard his joints crack and he settled back down, eyes a little more open this time. His shirt had inched up his stomach and his pants had slid lower, revealing the dip of his hip bone. Rhin tried not to follow its curve into the waistline of his jeans. 

“You look stressed,” he observed slowly. “Did Agent Whatsit call about the case?”

“No.”

“Lucifer?”

“No.”

“Hm,” he replied, watching her. “Wanna go to bed?”

Rhin bit her lower lip to keep herself from admitting _yes_. All she wanted to do was crawl into his arms and curl up in bed together, or even on this very couch. But she couldn’t do either, not without an explanation. It was time they talked with none of the bullshit in the way.

Mammon wasn’t always as dense as his brothers thought, because he must have sensed Rhin’s apprehension. He sighed and pushed himself up into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his head and yawning once again. “Now’s as good as ever for that talk, huh?” he mumbled sheepishly, his voice still heavy with sleep. “Let’s move upstairs so we can talk.”

He rose from the couch and held out his hand for Rhin to take. 

Her heart beat a little faster as she took it and walked with him up the stairs to his room. With each step, she felt an overwhelming sense of… well, she wasn’t sure. But it was building in her chest and she had to struggle to keep her hand from shaking in his. She didn’t want him to know she was losing her cool. How was he remaining so calm when every part of him should have been screaming at himself to turn off his feelings and turn her away?

They entered Mammon’s room and he took a dive straight for his bed. The sheer size of the room astounded her just as before, but she didn’t have time to marvel its contents. Even from the short distance between Rhin and the bed, he was still looking at her in that way that made her heart stop, that made time stand still and the world around them fade away.

She had noticed this same look when he stopped her on the street that afternoon, when he pressed against her in the shadowy recess of the conference room, when he lay his hope bare on his sleeve and begged her to stay with him every time he glanced her way, to listen for the beat of his heart and find her voice to say the things he couldn’t fathom but felt nonetheless. 

After turning on his bedside lamp, Mammon leaned back and rest against his headboard, propping one knee in the air as the other lay flat on the comforter. The space beside him was open, a silent invitation. 

Rhin decided to fight her desire to join him and stood at the foot of his bed, arms crossed. She pursed her lips and stared right back at him. “Well?” she asked finally, when it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything of his own volition. “Care to explain to me why the entire Devildom knows of my existence?”

He winced and Rhin regretted phrasing it that way.

“I didn’t…” He drew a breath, his cheeks flushing simultaneously. “I was going to tell you. I _wanted_ to tell you as soon as I saw you, that night in your apartment. But then you were upset and we had to go see Lucifer…” His nose crinkled as he said his elder brother’s name. “Always getting in my way, the bastard” he grumbled, his nose upturned at the thought.

Rhin couldn’t help it. She laughed. The sound filled the room and cut through the tension.

Mammon’s eyes widened in surprise, but when he realized she wasn’t laughing at him, he cracked a small smile and his body slackened, his own nerves dissipating at the sound of Rhin’s voice. She hadn’t realized how nervous he was, too. 

“I’ve always loved your laugh,” he murmured. The space between them warmed, and Rhin inched closer, allowing herself to sit next to him on the bed. He turned on his side and propped his head up on his elbow to watch her, his lips drawn open just enough to catch her attention. 

A wave of heat crashed onto her as she caught herself staring, and she hastily started fidgeting with her hair, pulling it into a loose ponytail so that she had something to do with her hands _other than_ run her fingertips across the seam of his lips. She took a quick breath and found her voice. “Okay so, that still doesn’t answer my question.” She noticed Mammon tense up and sighed. 

“Levi sent me this picture,” she stated plainly, reaching for her DDD. Her hand brushed across her pants pocket to find it empty. “Oh, it’s still downstairs…. Well, it was the front cover of a magazine, Mammon. The _front_ cover. And I’ve seen you on Majolish before so that’s nothing new - but this was of _us_ from the other night with the coffee- and then it kept talking about that claiming thing and you having a human lover and-and-” Her words failed her and she paused with her hands in the air. “I don’t understand,” she said finally, dropping her hands to her lap. “I just don’t understand.”

She expected him to damn the reporter, to damn the photographer, or to damn himself for being part of some money-grubbing scheme and bringing her into the mix without her knowing. But instead, his muscles twitched, his face flushed a deep red, and he swallowed loudly. It seemed even he had his limits for keeping his nerves in check. 

“A-are you okay?” Rhin choked, afraid she looked as childish as he. “It’s just something to keep those reporters off your back, right? A little story to throw them off.”

He opened his mouth but no sound came out. 

“You’re just selling the story, right? Is that it? I don’t care if you are, Mammon, as long as you tell me the plan so that I don’t get the wrong idea...” She trailed off, expecting Mammon to pick up where she left off. _Oh! That? Yeah, don’t worry about it! We’re making thousands from this photo alone! It’ll cover all of our expenses for days!_

But still, nothing. 

“...Mammon?” It was like Medusa had turned him to stone. He didn’t move. He didn’t _breathe_.

After a minute passed, Rhin wrung her hands together in her lap. “... _say something, _” she pleaded softly. “Please. I don’t… I don’t know what you want from me. Are we friends? Are we not friends? Am I just driving myself crazy thinking that there’s something else between us? That when you look at me,” she sucked in a quick breath and forced herself to crack whatever self-made barrier lay between them, “you _want_ me?”__

____

A floodgate opened and she couldn’t stop herself, wasn’t sure if she wanted to. All of her pent up emotions flooded the air, everything that she had been holding inside for the past _two years_ , from the moment she recognized feelings stirring until now, when she couldn’t breathe without his name on her lips. 

____

“I want you,” she breathed, so softly that she wasn’t sure she had even said it aloud. “I’ve wanted you for so long, I can’t remember what it’s like to want anything else. Mammon, I—” 

____

_Imperceptibly fast, Mammon sat up across from Rhin. He didn’t touch her. But he leaned close, so close that she could _smell_ what remained of his cologne from that morning, and leveled his face with hers. “Are you sure?” he asked slowly, a golden glimmer in his eyes. “Because when I want something, Rhin, I _can’t always stop myself._ ” He licked his lips and glanced at her own. “So I’m warning you now. I might be a bit… intense. It comes with the territory.” _

__

Rhin was shocked to see him so calm, so sure of himself, when she felt like a complete mess. Her limbs burned, eager to reach out and grab him but forced to sit still. Her lungs couldn’t get enough air, like he filled not just her mind but her body as well. She had always thought it would be the other way around - he would be the one to fidget and falter and flail around, unable to put his feelings into words, and she would be the one to assuredly calm him down, to string everything together for them. 

__

But now she wasn’t so sure; he looked… 

__

Like a demon about to devour a human. 

Mammon didn’t move no matter how long it took. He sat perfectly still, waiting for her to decide. Did she really want this? Did she really want him? To let a _demon_ wrap his claws around her heart and squeeze it just enough to make his imprint known? 

Really, there was no question. She had already made up her mind. 

“I’m sure.” Looking into his eyes, Rhin found that behind the shimmering gold, the blue flame emerged, brighter than ever in its all-consuming burn. “You’re the only thing I want, Mammon.” 

“ _Good_ ,” he replied, a low, melodic quality to his voice, almost like a cello sounding on an open string. “I don’t like to share.” He began to touch her then, slowly, starting with her hair. He brushed his fingertips across loose strands that had fallen by her face and tucked them behind her ear. From there, he pulled at Rhin’s hair tie until it snapped in one quick motion, her hair tumbling loose like a river running rapid. He hummed to himself as he teased a lock between his fingers. “We don’t get colors like this in the Devildom,” he murmured. “But I’ve seen it in your sunsets.” 

Rhin flushed, and his attention returned to her face. “Careful, now, or things might escalate _quickly_. I want to savor this.” A smirk played on his lips as he saw the pulse point on her neck throb. “Mm, but you’re so…” Pressing his hand onto her throat, his eyes danced, burning even brighter. “ _Tempting._ ” 

She swallowed and he followed the movement down to her collar bone. Tracing his thumb against it, he slipped the collar of her blouse over her shoulder and exposed more skin for him to memorize. 

There was no doubt in Rhin’s mind that this man was the one she wanted, but she would be lying if she didn’t admit that he was revealing a new side of himself. Something _darker_ than she had imagined possible. Part of her cursed herself for being so naive; he _was_ thousands of years old and couldn’t possibly be only grim and glamour. That was unrealistic. 

“What’s wrong?” Mammon’s eyes narrowed and he removed his hands from her. “If you aren’t comfortable, I can stop. I just won’t be very happy about it.” 

A whine caught in Rhin’s throat that surprised even herself, but her body was already moving on it’s own. She pressed her palm against Mammon’s chest and clutched his shirt, tugging him closer. Her other hand gripped at his waist, firmly grasping at the skin beneath his shirt. “I don’t like to watch,” she murmured, brushing her lips against his. “I like to _taste_.” 

He bit her lip and they unraveled together, a mash of teeth and nails on every piece of skin they could reach. The pressure in Rhin’s chest exploded on impact, and fire danced across her skin everywhere he touched. 

This was _nothing_ like she had ever experienced before, and now she knew why Diavolo must have closed off the human world to demons. She was already drunk off of Mammon from one kiss. Desire filled every fiber of Rhin’s being, and she imagined it was a side effect of being so close to a demon… but she didn’t _care_. It was heaven. It was hell. It was _addicting_ , and she eagerly drank every last drop. 

Rhin pulled off her shirt and delighted in how he watched her. Soon she was stripped down to her skivvies, but right as she was about to unhook her bra, Mammon grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his lap, their chests touching. Rhin tangled her hands in his hair and tugged just enough to pull his head back. “You are _mine,_ he groaned, gripping her hips to grind into her. As Rhin gasps quickly turned to moans, he trailed soft kisses down her jawline and neck. “Mine, mine, mine” Rhin heard him murmur into her skin, and she gripped his shoulders to grind right back. 

He bit the top of her breast and dipped his hands inside her panties to grab her bare ass. They moved together, their moans filling the air as things continued to escalate. Mammon tugged her bra down to expose her breast and flicked his tongue across her nipple, earning him the sharp moan he desired. Greedily, he took the tip in his mouth and pulled her hips harder down onto his, the only thing keeping them apart the thin material of her panties and his boxers. 

“Mammon,” Rhin pleaded, pushing against his chest. He took that as incentive to lie down and gaze up at her, devouring her with his eyes. “Hm?” he asked innocently, putting his hands behind his head like he didn’t have a care in the world. “What’s that, love?” 

“ _Mammon,_ she breathed, a hint of a laugh tinkling in her voice. “Rhin,” he responded easily, rubbing his hands along her thighs. “I could stay like this forever.” 

Rhin rolled her eyes but a smile graced her lips as she removed his hands from her body and placed them on the bed beside his head. She gripped them tightly and leaned over him, looking a little devilish herself. “We’ll see how long that lasts.” 

It took about thirty seconds for Mammon to change his mind. 

“F-fuck,” he rasped, at the mercy of Rhin’s hips as she ground into him, hard and slow, her arousal drenching the thin layer between them. In an instant, he had Rhin on her back and pressed into the mattress. Hovering over her on his forearm, he grasped her chin and kissed her slowly, pressing his lips to hers so forcefully that Rhin imagined she’d wake up with bruises the next morning. 

He flicked his tongue in her mouth and released her chin to slide his fingers between her thighs, pushing aside her panties to grope at her sex. As she gasped and moaned beneath him, he curled his middle finger inside her, moaning into her mouth at how _sinfully_ wet she was, and for _him._ “God, I could _devour_ you, Rhin. No- I’m _going_ to,” he groaned, spreading her legs further apart and ducking between them. Without warning, he latched onto her clit and swirled his tongue around its peak, having to hold Rhin down by her hips so that she stopped bucking up and away from his mouth. When he felt her thighs trembling, he dove lower and stroked her opening with his tongue, devouring her completely. 

“M-M-Mammon,” Rhin moaned, as he slid his finger back inside and teased her. “ _Please,_ ” she cried, “ _I need you now._ ” 

Before Rhin could even blink, he had discarded both her panties and his boxers, and he raised himself onto his knees, stroking his member as he watched her. The desperation in her amber eyes was _delicious_ , and he licked his lips, savoring her taste on his tongue. “You are _mine_ ,” he repeated, lowering himself on top of her. As he rubbed his tip against her clit, he held her shoulder to steady her. “Say it.” 

If it was possible, Rhin’s face turned an even deeper crimson. “Mammon!” she protested, but he pressed even harder against her and she choked on her words as a moan vibrated through her chest. “I’m yours,” she rasped, Mammon’s hand on her chin forcing her to look into his eyes as she said it. “I’m only yours, Mammon.” 

“ _Good_ ,” the demon breathed, almost as a sigh of relief. But then he was fully inside her, enveloped by her, and he groaned so forcefully that Rhin imagined she was the one who had made the sound. They exhaled together as he thrust into her, careful enough not to seriously hurt her but definitely stronger than he should have. But Rhin didn’t seem to care. She pressed her palms flat against his headboard to push herself into his thrusts, push his cock _deeper_ inside her, as the heat from their union left her branded as his, and only his. 

It was a good thing that Diavolo had insisted all of the brothers’ houses be soundproofed, for the sounds of their love-making only intensified as the night continued and they drank deep from the well of desire that they had abstained from for so long. 


	6. Chapter 6

Lucifer was not the type of demon to pace around the room and weave his agitation into the floor. He was better than that; calmer, more collected, more prideful. His head was always head high no matter the situation. That was what he was known for - _keeping his shit together._

But on this night, he paced, and he paced with a frenzy. The stone floor scuffed from his ministrations, and if the room didn’t know any better, it would assume this demon was a worrier, someone who most decidedly _did not_ keep his emotions in check. Over the years, the room had seen many a demon come and go, some burly and surly, some dainty and light. It was rare to see one so well-done as Lucifer, so poised. So the room remembered this one and let him in with ease, followed his movements from the vibrations he made into the floor. 

It was the same one who had locked the room up all those years ago, claiming that it was unsafe for demons to use. Well, not unsafe to use _the room_ , but unsafe to use what it contained. And under this demon’s nose, that one thing had been used for years. Don’t ask the room how long it had been in use; walls couldn’t tell time.

Another man entered the room, this one more refined at his core but seeming carefree, or simply with a better show of withholding his emotions. He saw the first man pacing and set his hand upon his shoulder. “Lucifer,” Diavolo spoke, “you seem troubled.” He held the eldest of the demon brothers in place to cease his movements.

Lucifer barked a laugh, so unlike him that he paused before continuing. “Yes, things are certainly _not going well,”_ he grumbled, stretching his fingers out to keep them from clenching. “Do you remember this room, Diavolo? The room we sealed together when it was decided not to return to the human world. Things were chaotic then; we’d let the demons run too rampant and the human world had suffered for it. You remember, don’t you?”

The older demon nodded. “I never forget.” 

“Well someone’s been here,” Lucifer admitted, eyeing the simple fountain in the center of the room. It was the only object in the room and one Lucifer hadn’t bothered checking in centuries. The room had been sealed. No one should have been able to enter, much less use the warp gate. Lucifer had even cast a spell on the room to warn him if anyone entered.

No such alarm came, in all the hundreds of times the fountain and its power had been used. Not even once. 

For once, creases formed aside Lucifer’s eyes, the one sign of aging visible on his body. Once he calmed down, they would disappear as always, but for the moment they remained, informing his friend just how serious the situation was.

“I don’t know how many demons have gone through,” Lucifer sighed, tapping his fingers on his hip bone. “But this is likely the cause of our problem with those murders.”

Diavolo interjected. After so long with Lucifer, he usually knew what the man was about to say. “We don’t know why now, all of a sudden, they’ve come out of hiding.” When Lucifer didn’t say anything, he continued. “And we don’t know where they are now, in the Devildom or on Earth.”

“And the warp gate is too old and outdated to track its users. That’s why it was chosen as a transfer point over all the others.” The pinch in Lucifer’s voice foretold his frustration. “We did not put security measures on this gate because of its placement beneath RAD. It seemed unnecessary at the time. Too much money to cover all the gates. This one was unknown to most and wouldn’t be a target.”

“The uprisings,” Diavolo murmured, nodding again. “Those little pockets of rebellion once we closed the gates to the human realm. Yes. This one was not targeted because few knew of its existence.”

“But someone found out.”

“Someone found out,” Diavolo finished slowly, his eyes flashing dangerously. They glowed a bright red like the depths of Hell itself. “And that someone is testing my patience. I’m sure you know what will happen once we find them?”

Lucifer didn’t have to respond. Even the room knew the weight behind Diavolo’s words. To defy a royal decree, especially when it involved the humans and their realm, was more than a death sentence. 

It was a Wish.

\- o - 

Rhin awoke feeling like she’d been to the deepest layers of hell and only managed to surface by clawing her way through concrete. Not only did her fingernails feel like she’d tried to pry them loose in her sleep, but her entire body _ached_ like it never had before. In truth, she imagined this was the worst hangover she’d ever had - only she hadn’t drank anything last night. 

Or had she?

When she thought back to how quickly things escalated and how deliciously slow they ended, she noticed that there were gaps in her memory. One moment she and Mammon were lying on their backs catching their breath, toying with each other’s hands like love-struck teens, then the next she was on her knees with her legs spread wide apart to fit the man currently lying beside her, moaning so loudly that her throat ached from exertion. _That_ she still felt as she cleared her throat; a stinging she knew was from overuse. 

But everything else? A bit foreign. Or… what was the word? She couldn’t even think clearly from the pounding in her head, like someone pressed the on switch to an automatic jackhammer that never turned off. As she forced herself to a sitting position, she immediately regretted it as bile caught in the back of her throat. Swallowing and almost making things worse, she groped at the nightstand for the lamp and twisted the knob, both flinching and relieved as low light flooded the room. Sitting on the bedside table was the biggest glass of water Rhin had ever seen and a brand new box of generic brand painkillers. Quickly, she raised the glass to her lips and chugged half its contents before prying open the box of meds like a kid on Christmas morning. She downed a small handful of pills and prayed for relief.

What the _fuck_ was that all about?

She groaned aloud and leaned back against the headboard. Mammon lay on his stomach beside her, unmoving aside from taking deep breaths. Had he placed these things at her bedside last night? Or, err, this morning? Did he know how fucked up she’d be feeling?

Eyeing the man curiously, she was about to slide into place beside him when she heard the tell-tale vibration of her DDD getting a phone call. Cursing under her breath, she checked the bed for the device and couldn’t find it. It wasn’t on her nightstand, on Mammon’s nightstand, beneath the pillows or tangled in the sheets. But she heard it nonetheless.

“Dammit,” she hissed, smacking her forehead and rubbing it with her knuckles. As she sank in defeat and decided to let the device ring, a light caught her attention from the adjoined bathroom across the room. _Oh._ It was over there. 

Forcing her body to move and hating every millisecond of it, she grit her teeth as she stumbled to the bathroom. Inside, the backlight to the mirror greeted her with enough light to see but not enough to blind. _Thank god._ Her muscles felt like someone had started peeling them apart with a razor blade, so she sat on the cold tile floor with a thud and gripped her DDD tightly in her hand. Apparently Mammon had also put both of their phones on a charger at some point. Since when was he so responsible?

As her screen lit up in her hand, she squinted to see who was calling but couldn’t make out the name. So she swiped to accept the call and held the receiver to her ear. “Hello?”

God, even her voice sounded raw. She cleared her throat and stifled the coughing fit she felt coming on. “Hello?” she tried again.

“Rhin.” Luke’s voice was clear as day, and a bit concerned. “You sound horrible. Are you okay? Are you sick?”

Swallowing, Rhin tried her best to sound normal. “No,” she replied. “Just had a… rough night.” As she relaxed on the floor and her eyes adjusted to the lighting, she saw bruises peppering her thighs and knew she spoke the truth. It was a rough night. A _very_ rough night. Her cheeks grew warm and she tried to think of anything other than what sinful things Mammon had done to her last night. 

“Right,” Luke breathed, sounding unconvinced. “You do know it’s 4:00, don’t you?”

Rhin clenched her eyes shut. “What kind of question is that?” she forced, hoping he wouldn’t see her bluff. She had _no idea_ that it was already four o’clock in the afternoon. How the _fuck_ did they skip all morning and most of the day? “Why are you calling?”

She heard Luke sigh over the phone. “Are you sure you’re alright? You’re not in danger, are you? Say something casual if you are. I’ll come and get you right now, I swear.”

Part of Rhin knew that he was genuinely concerned for her, but the other part was just annoyed. “ _Yes,_ Luke, I am fine. I’m great, actually.” Her voice cracked on the last word, telling another story, and she decided to change the subject. “Did you find something about the case?”

Another sigh. “Turn on your TV. Channel two, although I bet it’s on almost every station by now.”

TV. Right. That meant she had to move. Internally screaming, Rhin bit her lip and forced herself to stand. Her thighs felt like they were ripping apart from the bone and she gasped as she shuffled towards the giant TV across from Mammon’s bed. The demon still didn’t stir, this time snoring lightly. It made Rhin feel a little better to hear him. 

Feeling around the monitor, she pressed what she thought was the power button and shut her eyes as the picture came on. _Ouch._ After a few seconds, she exhaled and squinted at the image. Thankfully the default channel was the news, so Rhin didn’t have to scramble to change the channel. On the screen, she saw the same house she and Mammon had found Beel in yesterday, with its Spanish tiles in full, 4K HD color. “Oh shit,” she breathed, stumbling backwards to sit at the foot of Mammon’s bed. “Shit.” Running across the bottom of the screen was a headline declaring “DEMONS AMONG US? MACABRE CALIFORNIA FAMILY MURDER MOMENTS AFTER DEMON PRESS CON.”

‘Mhm,” she heard Luke hum. “You might need to talk to your people about this because it’s already blowing up over here.” The sound of a keyboard clicking caught Rhin’s attention and she wondered what Luke was typing. “You really need to do some damage control, although I’m not sure if it’ll be enough. They’re hitting this angle hard. Might want to ask Lucifer to line some pockets to get this thing off the air _fast._ ”

Rhin clenched her jaw. He had a point. “Right,” she found herself saying. “I’ll get right on that.”

There was a pause before anyone spoke again, and Rhin heard Luke take a breath like he wanted to say something but then changed his mind. He spoke first anyways since Rhin couldn’t think of anything more to say. “I’m here for you, remember? Okay?”

She grit her teeth and tapped her toe impatiently. “Got the message loud and clear,” she snapped. Without waiting for anything else, she hung up. “Prick.” 

Once his face disappeared from her screen, still a picture of them together from an ice cream date this past July, seventy-two messages popped up on her notifications. “Oh, hell no,” she whined, throwing herself back on the bed. Her head began to throb again and she rolled over, shoving her face into the comforter and groaning. Mammon’s thigh was right in front of her so she heaved a sigh and latched onto it, holding it close like her favorite stuffed animal.

This is what finally roused the man and he mumbled something incoherent. Rhin smiled into his skin and pressed a kiss there. Mammon rolled over and scooted closer to Rhin so that he could reach her, capturing her in his arms and mumbling into her neck. “Too early. Sleep now.” 

Rhin laughed softly but the movement sent a jolt of pain up her spine and she froze, air trapped in her lungs. Mammon fully awoke immediately and rose on his palms, one on each side of her neck. He towered over her and looked down at her face, his eyes scanning for clues as to what pained her. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice tight with worry. “Are you hurt? Did I do something-” 

Realization dawned on his face and he turned a violent shade of crimson as he reached for the painkillers on the nightstand. “Here, take these. They’ll help.” As Rhin finally began breathing again, he opened the bottle and poured a generous handful of pills into his palm. “I don’t know human dosage, so you’ll have to take what you need-” Rhin didn’t bother counting and eyed the amount she thought she needed, ignoring the fact that she had _already_ taken some not ten minutes prior, and shoved them into her mouth. She used the half-empty glass of water Mammon held in his other hand to wash them down. 

He placed the water on the nightstand and settled on his side next to Rhin. “It’s my fault,” he started slowly, his cheeks still warm but not as pink as before. “Apparently when humans and demons… y’know… humans have a hard time handling it or something. Their bodies react differently. So it takes a while to get used to… _it.”_

“It?” Rhin groaned, nuzzling Mammon’s neck with her nose. “You could just say ‘my dick is a drug, Rhin, and you have to get used to it.’” She snickered and choked on her saliva at the same time, her head pounding even louder. Mammon didn’t seem amused as he gently rubbed the back of her head and hummed to himself. “We shouldn’t have gone so far so quickly. I’m sorry.”

“Well I’m not.” She nibbled his neck and enjoyed how his entire body shivered against hers. “S-stop it!” he cried, pushing her head even closer to him despite his protests. “I don’t want to break you!”

Rhin wheezed and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Maybe I’m meant to be broken in,” she teased, amused as his cock twitched against her thigh. He sighed, a sort of breathy, exasperated sound that made Rhin’s heart squeeze. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Now stop it before you really hurt yourself.”

Rhin obeyed and took deep breaths. She was almost asleep when her DDD rang again, this time on full volume. The sound was jarring and made her teeth ache, so she buried her face in Mammon’s chest and moaned. “Make it stoooop.” 

Mammon reached for the device and answered the call. “Yo, Luc--”

“Put Rhin on the phone. _Now._ ”

“Eesh,” Mammon breathed. “No need to be so aggressive.” He lowered the phone to Rhin’s ear and held it there for her. She shifted just enough to where she could speak clearly into the mouthpiece. “Yes?” _God_ , she sounded hoarse. 

There was a pause as though Lucifer was choosing his words carefully. “Have a nice night?” he asked, a venom to his voice that made Rhin shiver. She had a quick flashback to one of her last nights as a RAD student when Lucifer offered himself to her as part of their demon-human pact agreement. Undoubtedly, he knew what she and Mammon had been up to all night, and maybe a part of him was… jealous? Or bitter? Resentful, maybe? Rhin swallowed a moan from the headache still hammering inside her head and replied that yes, she had a wonderful night, thank you for asking. 

Lucifer sighed and Rhin could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose. “I need you and Mammon back here immediately. There’s been some new information we need to address.”

Rhin cleared her throat. “Yeah, I already saw the news. I’ll get right on that.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, although yes, you should definitely ‘get on that’ instead of whatever else you’ve been doing.” 

Rhin felt her face go hot and Mammon’s nails dug into her back. 

“We’ll address that as well, then, once you’ve arrived. Don’t keep me waiting long.” He hung up without another word.

Rhin released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and Mammon’s grip on her slackened. “Man, he can be such a pain in the ass,” she grumbled, trying to extricate herself from Mammon’s koala grip on her body. “Mammon! We have to go, c’mon!” 

“Just five more minutes,” he pleaded, the whine in his voice both annoying and precious at the same time. Rhin huffed but allowed it, enjoying the feel of his hands brushing over her back as he lulled her back to sleep.

\- o - 

In the end, it took them two hours to make it to the Devildom. Rhin was rushing the process while Mammon was more concerned with her well-being. “He can wait longer if he has to!” he kept repeating, trying to get Rhin to eat toast or a muffin or _something_. He managed to shove an apple in her arms as she locked the back door, and she begrudgingly took a bite as he took her hand to teleport them to the Devildom.

When they landed, she was seeing stars and stumbled forwards. Mammon caught her and kept a tight grip on her arm as he led her towards Diavolo’s castle. They hadn’t landed in the shopping district this time, instead choosing a more discreet location to emerge. It was closer to their destination as well. 

As Rhin crunched on her apple, they entered the castle and Barbatos led them back to the deepest depths of the rooms to where Lucifer lay in wait. She was about to take another bite when Barbatos held out his hand to take it. “No food goes inside,” he instructed with a small smile. Frowning, Rhin placed her breakfast in his hand and watched him leave with it. A small whimper caught in her throat and Mammon squeezed her hand. “We’ll get you some real food, don’t worry.”

Lucifer opened the door and glowered at them. “You’re late.” 

“You never set a time,” Mammon insisted, steering Rhin straight to the chair Lucifer must have been occupying mere moments before. If it was true, he didn’t comment and instead crossed his arms as he eyed the couple. “We’ve got a problem,” he stated plainly. “And you two need to be aware of it before we continue with the media scandal.”

Rhin watched as Lucifer’s leg twitched, and she wondered if he needed to pace or something. He didn’t move, so she didn’t comment. “What is it?”

The man sighed and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “It seems,” he began slowly, “that one of the warp gates has been compromised.” He opened his eyes and instead of looking to Rhin, he looked at Mammon. “Someone has been using them to go between realms. _Freely_ , without a pass. We don’t know who they are or what they’ve been doing, but we suspect they are the ones behind the murders. And we are certain they will strike again, although we don’t know how yet.”

Mammon visibly paled and Rhin eyed the two brothers curiously. “So just close the gate,” she said. “Won’t that solve the problem?”

“We don’t know whether they’re here or there at the moment,” Lucifer replied. “So closing the gate doesn’t solve the problem. We have to find them and punish them before word gets out. There could be riots if demons realize they’ve been able to get to the human world all this time.”

“And if we close the gate,” Mammon continued, apparently on the same wavelength as his brother. “They’ll know we’re on to them and might cover their tracks or go into hiding.”

“Exactly.” Lucifer appraised his brother momentarily. “And if they go into hiding, it’ll be that much harder to learn who they’re working for.”

Rhin rubbed her temples in small circles and closed her eyes. This was too much for her addled brain this morning. Well, _afternoon._ Evening? What time was it? She exhaled sharply. “What makes you think they’re working for someone instead of acting alone?”

Lucifer scoffed and turned his attention to Rhin. “A low-level demon wouldn’t be able to pull this off on their own. They often rely on instinct instead of intellect, and this plan has taken a lot of intelligence. The warp gate is also in a secure location that few know of. So the fact that someone was able to discern its location _and_ sneak demons through for centuries? Not just any demon could do that.”

Mammon swallowed loudly and Rhin caught him wringing his hands together. “So what are we supposed to do about it?” he asked. “You can’t possibly think that Rhin and I are capable of sniffing out demons on our own.”

“You’re right,” Lucifer said. “I don’t expect you two to be able to track demons on your own. As a human, Rhin’s not much of a hunter, and you also leave something to be desired…” As Mammon bristled, Lucifer turned around to face the globe. He tapped his fingertips against various points and lights began to shine out from the places he touched. “You’ll need to contact Levi to see how we can use the humans’ surveillance technology to our benefit, and then I advise you to visit Belphegor about what he’s learned while on assignment. Oh, and don’t forget to speak with the world news agencies; I’ve already done a bit of work there so you may just have to show your face and ease any tensions that may exist. I suggest bringing Mammon with you and selling him to whoever is present. The more humans that like us, the less they will be concerned about the news and their stories.”

Rhin hoped Mammon was taking notes because her head was about to explode. “Anything else, my king?” she snapped, grateful for Mammon pressing his thumb into a knot on her shoulder and rubbing the tension there. 

“Take care of yourself,” Diavolo said softly, standing behind them all in the doorway. Rhin caught whiplash turning so quickly to see him. “You seem a bit out of sorts… so surely some of this can wait until she’s better, hmm? Lucifer?” 

The demon brother ground out a ‘fine’ and turned away from them. He walked to the back of the room, opened some mysterious door there, and slammed it behind him. 

“My, my, he sure does have a bee in his bonnet, doesn’t he?” Diavolo tutted, stepping in place where his friend had just vacated. “We do appreciate all the work you’re doing for us,” he began. “Don’t mistake Lucifer’s temper for ungratefulness. He’s just under a lot of pressure, you know. Making my dreams come true and all.” 

The demon prince’s attempt at levity only made Mammon and Rhin feel worse. He must have sensed this because he laughed mechanically. “Ah, well, my order still stands. Take care of her, Mammon, or else there’ll be hell to pay. _Literally._ ” He chuckled at his own joke and stepped forward to clap Mammon on the shoulder. “Just remember your purpose in working with Rhin.”

Mammon clenched his jaw but nodded. It seemed that there were many _feelings_ about his relationship with Rhin. “Of course,” he stated tersely. “I would never forget.”

“Good.” Diavolo gestured to the door. “You have your next steps, so you can leave. Give Rhin some time to rest before jumping into the fray.”

Mammon grabbed Rhin’s hand and practically dragged her out of the mansion. Somehow he navigated the many corridors and passages with ease, something Rhin was shocked he was able to do. As soon as they were outside, he took a huge gulp of air and clenched his fists tightly. Rhin was about to reach for him when he started pacing in front of the mansion gates. _”Take care of her,”_ he mocked aloud, throwing his hands in the air as he spoke. “As if I’d let anything happen to you. Does no one have any faith in me?”

Rhin spoke up quietly, not sure if he really wanted an answer or not but deciding to speak anyway. “I have faith in you.” Mammon’s eyes turned to her, their normally steady blues turbulent. As he stared at Rhin, his burst of energy waned and he shuffled back to her, shoulders slumped. “That should be all I need,” he breathed, taking her hand in his and brushing the pad of his thumb against her knuckles. “So why doesn’t it feel like it’s enough?”

Rhin found herself at a loss for words, so she did all she knew to; pressing a kiss to his cheek, she smiled up at him and hoped he’d feel better. 

When he smiled back, she couldn’t help but notice it didn’t reach his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in updating! I've been juggling multiple WIPs for the first time in my life - I don't know how you guys do it! I just have too many stories in my head and not enough time to write them all! 
> 
> I ended up chopping this chapter in half since the next part is information-heavy, so stay tuned for more adventures with Mammon and Rhin! :)


End file.
